Apparatus for the electronic selection and identification of characters

Claim 3

The system according to claim 1 in which said first output voltage increases in magnitude in correspondence with the increasing number of said matrix row in which said respective first group marks are located.

Claim 4

The system according to claim 2 in which said second output voltage increases in magnitude in correspondence with the increasing number of said matrix column in which said respective additional group marks are located.

Claim 5

The system according to claim 3 in which said electron beam means comprises a cathode-ray tube having a screen and deflection coils energized by said converting means first and second output voltages including said corresponding step voltage through said electron beam control means for moving said electron beam in said coordinate pattern on said screen.

Claim 6

The system according to claim 4 in which said electron beam is focused from said screen onto said first group one mark and said additional groups one mark in turn in said matrix which is positioned in front of said screen, and thereafter said electron beam passing through said preselected transparent character as scanned diverges onto said photomultiplier means which is disposed in front of said matrix, whereby said last-mentioned means responsive to said electron beam passing through said last-mentioned character as scanned is caused to produce output ''''1'''' and ''''0'''' video signals representing corresponding portions of said last-mentioned character and adjacent opaque areas of said matrix, respectively.

Claim 7

The system according to claim 5 in which said voltage-responsive control means includes means discriminating said photomultiplier means output signals for separating said last-mentioned signals into said signal responsive to said electron beam incident upon said first group one mark indicating said particular character row in which said preselected character is located, into said signal responsive to said electron beam incident upon said additional groups one mark indicating said particular character column in which said preselected character is located, and into said two-level video signals representing said preselected character as scanned; said last-mentioned signals being transmitted by said discriminating means.

Claim 8

The system according to claim 6 in which said voltage-responsive control means includes a control circuit responsive to said discriminating means separated signal indicating said particular character row in which said preselected character is located for terminating said pulse-counting means to activate said converting means to produce said first output voltage thereof in said successively increasing steps; said last-mentioned control circuit responsive to said discriminating means separated signal indicating said particular character column in which said preselected character is located for terminAting said pulse-counting means to activate said converting means to produce said second voltage output thereof in said successively increasing steps.

Claim 9

Apparatus for the electronic selection of discrete characters, comprising: an opaque rectangular matrix including a plurality of different transparent characters spaced in parallel columns and rows and a plurality of discrete transparent marks wherein marks in a first group are spaced in a column spaced from and parallel with said character columns to dispose each of said latter marks above one of said character rows in a direction parallel therewith and wherein marks in additional groups are disposed in proximity of said character columns, each latter mark disposed above a preselected uppermost edge of one character in each character column and each latter mark in each additional group positioned in a plane parallel with said character columns and intersecting a plane including one of said first group marks; computer means preselecting one of said characters for identification by producing a command voltage and a plurality of predetermined binary code signals of which a first signal indicates a particular column in which said first group marks are located, a second signal indicates a particular row in which said preselected character is located, and a third signal indicates a particular column in which said preselected character is located; first and second register means for recording said first and third and said second binary signals, respectively; control circuit means activated by said computer means command voltage for producing a voltage to energize said first and second register means to record said respective first and second binary code signals; first and second binary code signal-converting means converting said first and second register-recorded signals in such output voltages that said first converting means produces no output voltage and said second converting means produces an output voltage for identifying one of said first group marks to indicate said particular character row including said preselected character; electron beam means including beam-deflecting means for moving an electron beam in a coordinate pattern to a random position on said matrix at a first time; first beam control means activated by said second converting means output voltage for producing an output voltage to energize said beam-deflecting means to move said electron beam from said random position to a second position on said matrix during a first time interval; first voltage pulse-counting means activated by a voltage provided by said control circuit means for energizing said second converting means to produce said output voltage thereof in successively increasing steps to energize said first beam movement control means and thereby said beam-deflecting means to move said electron beam during a second time interval from said second position to a third position incident upon said first group one mark which passes said electron beam therethrough at the end of said last-mentioned time interval; photomultiplier means responsive to said electron beam passing through said last-mentioned mark for producing an output voltage at the end of said last-mentioned time interval; voltage-discriminating means responsive to said photomultiplier output voltage for activating said control circuit means to terminate said voltage activating said first voltage pulse-counting means to terminate said voltage activating said second converting means to end the production of said second converting means output voltage steps at the termination of said second time interval; said control circuit means producing a voltage to energize said first register means to record said computer output third binary code signal; said first converting means converting said register recorded third signal into an output voltage for indicating said particular column in which said preselected character is located during a third time interVal; second beam control means energized by said last-mentioned output voltage to produce a voltage to energize said beam-deflecting means to move said electron beam from said third position to a fourth position proximate to said additional groups one mark during said third time interval; second voltage pulse-counting means energized by a voltage provided by said control circuit means for activating said first converting means to produce said output voltage thereof in successively increasing steps to energize said second beam movement control means and thereby said beam-deflecting means to move said electron beam during a fourth time interval from said fourth position to a fifth position incident upon said additional groups one mark which is proximate to said preselected character and passes said electron beam therethrough at the end of said last-mentioned time interval; said photomultiplier means responsive to said electron beam passing through said last-mentioned mark for producing an output voltage at the end of said fourth time interval; said discriminating means responsive to said last-mentioned photomultiplier means output voltage to activate said control circuit means to terminate said voltage activating said second voltage pulse counting means thereby to terminate said voltage activating first converting means to end the production of said first converting means output voltage steps at the termination of said fourth time interval; and first and second generating means generating first and second sawtooth voltages respectively for activating said first and second beam control means to energize said beam-deflecting means to move said beam in said coordinate pattern to scan said preselected character proximate to said last-mentioned additional groups one mark during a fifth time interval; whereby said photomultiplier means responsive to said electron beam passing through said preselected character as scanned activates said discriminating means to transmit two-level output voltages representing said last-mentioned character.

Claim 10

Apparatus for the electronic selection of discrete characters, comprising: an opaque rectangular matrix including a plurality of different transparent characters spaced in parallel columns and rows and a plurality of discrete transparent marks wherein marks in a first group are spaced in a column spaced from and parallel with said character columns to dispose each of said latter marks above one of said character rows in a direction parallel therewith and wherein marks in additional groups are disposed in proximity of said character columns, each latter mark disposed above a preselected uppermost edge of one character in each character column and each latter mark in each additional group positioned in a plane parallel with said character columns and intersecting a plane including one of said first group marks; computer means preselecting one of said characters for identification by producing a command voltage and a plurality of predetermined binary code signals of which a first signal indicates a particular column in which said first group marks are located, a second signal indicates a particular row in which said preselected character is located, and a third signal indicates a particular column in which said preselected character is located; first and second register means for recording said first and third and said second binary signals, respectively; control circuit means activated by said computer means command voltage for producing a voltage to energize said first and second register means to record said respective first and second binary code signals; first and second binary code signal-converting means converting said first and second register-recorded signals in such output voltages that said first converting means produces no output voltage and said second converting means produces an output voltage for identifying one of said first group marks to indicate said particular character row including said preselected character; electron beam means including beam-deflecting means for moving an electron beam in a coordinate pattern to a random position on said matrix at a first time; first beam control means activated by said second converting means output voltage for producing an output voltage to energize said beam-deflecting means to move said electron beam from said random position to a second position on said matrix during a first time interval; first voltage pulse-counting means activated by a voltage provided by said control circuit means for energizing said second converting means to produce said output voltage thereof in successively increasing steps to energize said first beam movement control means and thereby said beam-deflecting means to move said electron beam during a second time interval from said second position to a third position incident upon said first group one mark which passes said electron beam therethrough at the end of said last-mentioned time interval; photomultiplier means responsive to said electron beam passing through said last-mentioned mark for producing an output voltage at the end of said last-mentioned time interval; voltage-discriminating means responsive to said photomultiplier output voltage for activating said control circuit means to terminate said voltage activating said first voltage pulse-counting means to terminate said voltage activating said second converting means to end the production of said second converting means output voltage steps at the termination of said second time interval; said control circuit means producing a voltage to energize said first register means to record said computer output third binary code signal; said first converting means converting said register recorded third signal into an output voltage for indicating said particular column in which said preselected character is located during a third time interVal; second beam control means energized by said last-mentioned output voltage to produce a voltage to energize said beam-deflecting means to move said electron beam from said third position to a fourth position proximate to said additional groups one mark during said third time interval; second voltage pulse-counting means energized by a voltage provided by said control circuit means for activating said first converting means to produce said output voltage thereof in successively increasing steps to energize said second beam movement control means and thereby said beam-deflecting means to move said electron beam during a fourth time interval from said fourth position to a fifth position incident upon said additional groups one mark which is proximate to said preselected character and passes said electron beam therethrough at the end of said last-mentioned time interval; said photomultiplier means responsive to said electron beam passing through said last-mentioned mark for producing an output voltage at the end of said fourth time interval; said discriminating means responsive to said last-mentioned photomultiplier means output voltage to activate said control circuit means to terminate said voltage activating said second voltage pulse counting means thereby to terminate said voltage activating first converting means to end the production of said first converting means output voltage steps at the termination of said fourth time interval; and first and second generating means generating first and second sawtooth voltages respectively for activating said first and second beam control means to energize said beam-deflecting means to move said beam in said coordinate pattern to scan said preselected character proximate to said last-mentioned additional groups one mark during a fifth time interval; whereby said photomultiplier means responsive to said electron beam passing through said preselected character as scanned activates said discriminating means to transmit two-level output voltages representing said last-mentioned character.

Claim 11

The apparatus according to claim 8 in which said computer means preselects a second character by producing a second command voltage and other binary-coded signals of which a first signal indicates said column including said first group marks, a second signal identifies a second one of said first group marks to indicate a further particular row in which said second character is located, and a third signal identifies said additional groups one mark to indicate said first-mentioned particular column; said control circuit means energized by said second command signal activates said first and second register means to record said other first and second signals therein; said first and second binary code converting means converting said register recorded other first and second binary-coded signals into such output voltages that said first converting means produces zero magnitude output voltage and said second converting means produces a first additional output voltage for identifying said second one of said first group marks to indicate said further particular character row; said first beam control means activated by said first additional output voltage to energize said beam-deflecting means to move said electron beam to a sixth position between said first group one and second marks during a sixth time interval; said first pulse-counting means activated by a voltage provided by said control means for energizing said second converting means to produce said first additional output voltage thereof in successively increasing steps to energize said first beam movement control means and thereby said beam-deflecting means to move said electron beam during a seventh time interval from said sixth position to a seventh position incident upon said first group second mark which passes said last-mentioned beam therethrough at the end of said seventh time interval; said photomultiplier means responsive to said electron beam passing through said last-mentioneD mark for producing an output voltage indicating said further particular character row at the end of said sixth time interval; said voltage-discriminating means separating said last-mentioned output voltage to activate said control circuit means to terminate said last-mentioned voltage activating said first pulse-counting means to terminate said last-mentioned voltage activating said second converting means to end the production of said second converting means output voltage steps at the termination of said seventh time interval; said control circuit means producing a voltage to energize said first register means to record said other third binary signal therein; said first converting means converting said first register recorded other third binary signal into a second additional output voltage identifying said additional groups one mark; said second beam control means activated by said second additional output voltage to energize said beam-deflecting means to move said electron beam from said seventh position to an eighth position proximate to said additional groups one mark during an eighth time interval; said second voltage pulse-counting means energized by a voltage provided by said control circuit means for activating said first converting means to produce said second additional output voltage thereof in successively increasing steps to energize said second beam movement control means and thereby said beam-deflecting means to move said electron beam during a ninth time interval from said eight position to a ninth position incident upon said additional groups one mark, which is proximate to said preselected second character, and passes said electron beam therethrough, at the end of said ninth time interval; said photomultiplier means responsive to said electron beam passing through last-mentioned mark for producing an output voltage indicating said first-mentioned character column at the end of said ninth time interval; said voltage-discriminating means separating said last-mentioned output voltage to activate said control circuit means to terminate said last-mentioned voltage activating said second pulse-counting means to terminate said last-mentioned voltage activating said first converting means to end the production of said last-mentioned means output voltage at the termination of said ninth time interval; said first and second generating means generating said first and second sawtooth voltages, respectively, for activating said first and second beam control means to move said electron beam in said coordinate pattern to scan said second preselected character during a 10th time interval; whereby said photomultiplier means responsive to said electron beam passing through said last-mentioned character as scanned activates said discriminating means to transmit second two-level output voltages representing said last-mentioned character.